Pretty Nail Designs for Any Occasion

Pretty Nail Designs

One of the best parts about nail designs is the ability to adapt them to any occasion. Whether you’re heading to a wedding or formal event, or just want something fun to express your personal style in your everyday life – nails can be transformed with nail polish and a little dose of inspiration. This year a lot of the nail trends are bold, bright statements but if you’re anything like us sometimes you just want some pretty nail designs that are appropriate for ANY occasion. Sound like you? For those times you want a pretty mani scroll through some of these nail designs we’ve found.

1Classic Colors Turned Modern

Black and white will always be easy go-to nail colors. They’re neutral but have a way of looking chic. When they’re used together…they are even more chic! We love the simple, modern design of very thin stripes added to solid white and black nails. Easy, stylish and so pretty.

2Burgundy Minimalist

How pretty are these nails?! As we approach fall, most of us are going to begin opting for darker nail colors. Burgundy is a gorgeous choice for fall and winter. These nails got a pretty twist with two nails painted in a nude, almost clear, color and completed with black lines. Unexpected and stunning!

3Black Metallic

Whether you have a formal event to attend or you just want to spice up your typical black nails, these are perfection. Leaving some blank space on black + gold marbled nails is a modern twist that really freshens up the feel of black.

4Delicate Hearts

Similar to black and white, nude and black have grown to become nail color staples. Add a feminine, girly touch to the simple nails with black hearts painted onto just the nude nails. They tie the colors in together perfectly.

5Chrome, Simplified

We’ve adored the use of chrome nail polish this year. It’s edgy and sophisticated, which is why we instantly fell in love with these pretty nails. While the chrome feels edgy, when it’s paired with a soft nude polish it’s just enough edge.

6Blue Edge

Switch up your neutral nail colors this fall/winter with a dark blue hue.
It’s dark enough to feel appropriate for the season, but still offers a little pop of color that’s just enough. Adding swirl-like lines onto the nails in a silver metallic instantly elevates the solid color. Great for any occasion!

7Soft Reds

Give your nails a fall twist, with soft elegance. The red tone feels so perfect for the fall season. These nails are so pretty with a touch of gold added to the base to compliment the neutral accent nail.

8Simple Dots

Less color is all the rage in the nail world this year. We never thought we would love nails that feature little to no colors but this is a perfect example of how pretty it can be. Adding tiny dots in various colors to the base of nude nails = major nail win.

9Edgy Whites

We told you leaving space empty on nails was a thing. If you love white nails but want your manicure to feel a bit more modern and pretty, these are a must try. Use a piece of tape to section off the nails to create a sharp diagonal line. Pretty for any nail shape.

10Shimmering Ombre

How pretty are these ombre nails? The combination of ombre with glitter and nude polish is stunning. Because the glitter is on the neutral side it makes this nail design easy to wear for any occasion.

11Striped in Metallic

Adding touches of metallic polish to nude nails is always going to be a style win, if you ask us. These nails show us even if you keep it as simple as lines down the nails you can transform the entire aesthetic of nude nails.

12Glittering Neutral Tips

If you want pretty nails that are subtle, with a little added glam you’re probably adoring these. A fresh take on the French manicure we’ve all loved for years. Using glitter at just the ends of the nails is just enough glam to make your nails pretty for any occasion.

13Chic in Chrome

We can’t get enough of the chrome nail trend this year. With good reason…look at these stunners! Soften the look and feel of chrome polish by opting for a rose gold chrome color. The rosey tone softens the vibe just a touch to make it easy to wear.

14Soft Abstract Design

Add some style and personality to white nails with gold and pale pink “painted” on top. Don’t worry about painting the colors on perfectly, it adds to the abstract look of this pretty nail design.

15Shades of Grey

Grey is one of the forgotten neutral nail colors, and it’s gorgeous for the fall. Mix it up a tad by painting soft shades of grey onto nails for a monochromatic look. While the metallic detail is optional, it definitely adds a little glam.

16Iridescent French Mani

Goodbye, traditional French manis! These French-inspired nails are giving us life. Using chrome, iridescent polish to transform the classic nail design gives it a whole new look. Mix up the colors used for your own take on the nails.

17Pop of Animal Print

Matte nude nails are chic, effortless and pretty. They’re great on their own but even better when you add an unexpected touch of animal print to the mix. Because animal print incorporates similar color tones it pulls the various nude tones together beautifully here.

18White Ombre Mattified

If the iridescent French manicure wasn’t really your thing, this may be a better option for you. These have the idea of a French manicure and ombre nails…combined. We love that they’ve completed the nail design with a mattified texture and rhinestones. What’s not to love?!

19Modern Plaid Style

Few prints scream fall/winter quite like plaid does. Even if you’re not going to be wearing a lot of plaid clothing, it’s certainly a fun design to add to your nails. For those times when you want a little color added to your nails but still want to keep it classic. Red is always a great choice.

20Black Minimalist Vibes

It’s pretty clear French manicures have been a big inspiration for a lot of new nail trends. When we stumbled upon these nails we couldn’t get enough. They have the feel of a French manicure, but with a major modern twist because of the black line going down the side of the nails.

21The Modern French Manicure

Similar to the black nail design previously, we had to share a similar design using white instead of black. These definitely pay homage to the classic French mani with the use of the same colors. Honestly…you can use any color(s) for a design like this and chances are it’s going to look great!

22Monochromatic in Mauve

Want subtle color on your nails? You may want to consider something like this. Applying different tones of mauve to each nail is so pretty. Not to mention this is a super easy nail design to DIY.

23Gold in Navy

We’re expecting to use navy nail polish quite a bit this fall and winter.
It’s a softer color choice compared to black, but still adds some of that dark edge we all love. Give navy nail polish new life with gold and white added to the mix. Classic colors = classic nail win.

24Pastel Stripes

Ok, we really can’t get over how fun negative space nails are right now. While pastel nail colors aren’t going to be your go-to as we approach fall/winter you can easily transition this design using different colors for a similar look.

25Geometric Chic

Love nude nails? Give them a modern upgrade with some geometric designs added in white. This is such an easy (and pretty) nail design to recreate and make your own. Apply any of your favorite shapes/designs to the top of nude nails – don’t over complicate it.

26Gold Neutrals

Another simple, pretty way to give nude nails a different look. Nude nails are forever a staple because of their versatility and ability to look so pretty for any occasion. Give them a little glam by painting one accent nail in gold glitter.

27Nude Monochrome Textures

These are an even softer way to add glam to nude nails. We love that the glitter used on these nails are the same color as the nude polish, offering a perfectly monochromatic design. Gorgeous for any nail length and shape.

28Subtle Stars

Since nude nails are so versatile we couldn’t help but show you some of our favorite, pretty, takes on the nail color to help you spice up your neutral nails. Glitter is an obvious way to adjust the feel of nails but we’re guessing you don’t see STAR shaped glitter often. Strategically place glitter pieces to create a design on your nails instantly.

29Pearling Nails

Pearl jewelry has been a gorgeous, classic choice for years. But pearls aren’t just for jewelry anymore! Nope…you can add the look to your nails for the prettiest nail design. Keep the nails simple with white and pale pink too allow the pearl embellishments to really pop.

30Pink Toned Glam

Whether you’re looking for a different neutral nail color or just love pale pink polish, add in some glitter nails to add some pretty detail to the design. Opting for a silver glitter polish painted OVER the same pink polish is a great way to create a cohesive design.

31Unexpected Pop

We can’t get over this pretty nail design. Seriously…how fun are these?! Mixing up classic white nails by leaving a couple with clear polish adds some modern aesthetic but it’s the pop of hot pink added to the base of the nails that really take this to the next level.

32Glamorous in Nude Polish

Rhinestones aren’t just for special occasion nails. This pretty nail design shows us how rhinestones can be neutral enough for an everyday manicure. Adding stones to just one nail on each hand keeps it neutral so you’re not “too” extra for work. Although we’re definitely not against using more rhinestones, just saying!

33Pretty Polka Dots

Who knew there were so many pretty nail designs that utilized nude nail polish?! Well…now we all do. Use any nude polish you like for this nail design, use either a metallic polish or glitter pieces to add the polka dots to one or two nails. Voila!

34Purple Details

Combining various nail designs into one nail design is such a pretty way to create a unique look. Use any color palette to create something similar to these nails. It’s all in the pretty details with these!

35Glitter Styled Chicly

Mixing different textures and finishes to nails will leave you with a gorgeous manicure like these. Even if you’re keeping it neutral like they’ve done here with white and nude. Iridescent, glitter, matte and chrome have never looked better together.